Following news of Hurricane Dorian, local Red Cross volunteers prepare to help

Following news of Hurricane Dorian, local Red Cross volunteers prepare to help

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 9:01 AM EDT Aug 29, 2019

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

KAI? KAI: THERE IS THAT WAY A LOT OF ANTICIPATION FOR LOCAL VOLUNTEERS. THEY KNOW IT IS LIKELY THEY WILL BE DEPLOYED, AND WHEN THEY GET THE CALL, THEY WILL HAVE TO MOVE QUICKLY. BRITTNEY GILMORE IS THE DISASTER WORKFORCE ENGAGEMENT MANAGER FOR THE AMERICAN RED CROSS GREATER CHESAPEAKE REGION. >> SO WE HAVE 2 TYPES OF VESTS. KAI: AS RESIDENTS IN HURRICANE DORIAN’S PATH PREPARE AND BRACE FOR WHAT’S COMING. BRITTNEY HAS BEEN VERY BUSY HERE IN MARYLAND. CONTACTING VOLUNTEERS. LETTING THEM KNOW TO GET READY FOR DEPLOYMENTS. >> MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO THEIR FAMILIES, MAKING SURE THAT THEY’RE AWARE THAT THEY’RE GOING TO BE GONE FOR 2 WEEKS. THEY HAVE ABOUT 24 HOURS TO DEPLOY, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WAY AHEAD OF TIME THAT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS. KAI: RIGHT NOW, FORECASTERS SAY DORIAN WILL LIKELY MAKE LANDFALL AS A MAJOR HURRICANE. THE GOAL HERE IS TO GET VOLUNTEEERS ON THE GROUND, WHEREVER IT HITS, A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE LANDFALL. THE RED CROSS GREATER CHESAPEAKE REGION SENT HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS TO DISASTER LOCATIONS OVER THE PAST YEAR. INCLUDING 190 PEOPLE FOR HURRICANE HARVEY. >> THEY ALSO GET A CHECK LIST OF THE THINGS THEY NEED TO PACK KAI: SIMPLE THINGS, LIKE THE VEST, BADGE AND WATER BOTTLES, BUT MOSTLY THEY’RE RELYING ON THEIR TRAINING. >> THEY’RE ABLE TO GO OUT TO THESE DIFFERENT AREAS TO HELP PEPOLE. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THEY TRAIN FOR, THAT WE HAVE SIMULATIONS FOR ALL YEAR LONG. KAI: AND SO IF YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU CAN HELP OUT WITH THE RED CROSS, WE HAVE A LINK TO INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE AND THE WBAL TV 11 APP LIVE IN NORTHWEST BALTIMORE, KAI

Advertisement

Following news of Hurricane Dorian, local Red Cross volunteers prepare to help

As Hurricane Dorian's ultimate path for landfall takes shape, American Red Cross volunteers here in Maryland are getting prepared to help wherever they're needed.The week is definitely full of anticipation for volunteers. They know there's a strong chance they'll be deployed and when they get the call, they will have to move quickly.Brittney Gilmore is the disaster workforce engagement manager for the American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake region. As residents in Hurricane Dorian's path prepare and brace for what's coming, Gilmore has been very busy here in Maryland contacting volunteers, letting them know to get ready for deployments."Making sure that people are talking to their families, making sure that they're aware that they're going to be gone for two weeks," Gilmore said. "They have about 24 hours to deploy, so we want to make sure way ahead of time that people are starting to think about these things," Gilmore said. As of now, forecasters say Dorian will likely make landfall as a major hurricane.The goal here is to get volunteers on the ground, wherever it hits, a couple days before landfall. The American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake region sent hundreds of volunteers to disaster locations over the past year, including 190 people for Hurricane Harvey."They also get a checklist of the things they need to pack," Gilmore said. It simple things like the vest, badge and water bottles, but mostly they're relying on their training."They're able to go out to these different areas to help people," Gilmore said. "These are the things that they train for, that we have simulations for all year long."For information on how to help out with the Red Cross, click here.